Page 843

‘Yes,’ said Qorvass. ‘It’s no longer so extreme as that, but an underlying reverence for their abilities is still very much alive. Even now that Asad and Zeff are older, they often have unfair expectations placed upon them.’

“Unfair?” said Hector.

‘To simultaneously lead their people and yet also abide by the wishes of their elders,’ said Qorvass. ‘But that is just one example. Other times, people simply expect them to be more powerful or influential than they are. In some ways, Asad’s power is more of a burden than an advantage. Not that I’m complaining.’

Hector began to wonder what abilities their other new comrades might possess, but he couldn’t find an opening in the conversation to ask Qorvass about them. Garovel probably had it under control, though. Both of the reapers seemed interested in exchanging information, so Hector figured it was only a matter of time before the subject came up. However, after a while, Garovel addressed Hector privately.

‘Hey, why aren’t you asleep yet?’

‘Uh...’

Garovel tapped him on the head. ‘Here.’

And he was out. He plunged into a warm darkness, devoid of thought and worry. When he awoke, his body briefly argued with him before Garovel pulled that away, too.

They’d already arrived in Luzo, he discovered. Dark clouds filled the sky, but according to Garovel, it was past dawn. Apparently, a select group of Rainlords had gone ahead and forged a safe path to the city for the rest of them. That must have been a dangerous job. He wondered who’d done it.

Luzo’s covered walkways offered protection from the pouring rain, though not from the booming crash of thunder in the sky. The lightning was so close that the resultant sonic boom left windows rattling in its wake. For a second, Hector thought he was about to encounter Karkash again, but that wasn’t the case. The thunderstorm was natural. This region of Sair was known to experience them rather frequently, Garovel explained.

Hector followed the Najirs to another meeting, this time in a tall office building overlooking a river. It seemed there were no civilians around to object to the property seizure.

The Rainlords were waiting for them inside. Hector had already met the seven servants here back at Rheinhal, though only briefly. The Lords Abel, Xuan, Dimas, and Lady Amaya all belonged to House Sebolt, while House Delaguna was represented by Lord Salvador, Lord Alejo, and Lady Elba.

That was about all Hector could remember. He would definitely need to rely on Garovel in order to tell all their reapers apart.